REUSE ALLIANCE ILLINOIS

CHAPTER FOUNDER & COORDINATOR

Relocating to the Midwest from NYC’s dynamic and supported waste industry, I experienced a dearth of capacity-building and networking events for Chicago’s reuse community. Seeing absence as opportunity, I founded Reuse Alliance IL, a state-wide chapter of the eponymous national nonprofit. Chapter establishment involved collaborating with Reuse Alliance board and committee members at the national level, generating buy-in from Chicago’s reuse leaders, proving exhibited interest in chapter creation, and building a dedicated Steering Committee. As Chapter Coordinator, I served the community by organizing reuse-focused educational lectures featuring presenters from across the country and the world. The chapter was also active in co-branded events and speaking opportunities in Chicago’s environmental sector. Chapter efforts were promoted through a dedicated mailing list, website, and social media which I organized, designed, and managed. Reuse Alliance IL was an active RA chapter until the nonprofit’s dissolution in 2016.